I believe Christ is God. When I left the Witnesses I believed I had to be agnostic. Through a scheduling conflict, I studied the New Testament in college. I was so fascinated, I enrolled in a small Jesus seminar. The vast majority of humans who self-identify as believers, would not even acknowledge the "believers" on this forum. Christianity was broad from its inception. The "believers" here compromise about 1% of Christians. By calling themselves "believers" and the rest of us "atheists," they called me not a Christian. Christ is central to my life.
Before college, I never knew that belief and academic/scientific knowledge could be reconciled. The more I learned of cultural constructs, the more I learned of hard questions in studying Christianity, my faith became transformed.
My university is located on a strip known as Morningside Heights. Besides Columbia, it is prominent for being the Protestant Vatican. Columbia moved uptown b/c the area was to be the new, better Fifth Avenue and many Protestant groups moved with Columbia. This group of Christians are in interfaith dialogue that is meaningful. the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine is located in the area. It follows a European model as the cathedral, not as a place of refelction, but as the center of the community. Scientists preach about global warming. The Bible is studied. Woodstock Jesuits, such as Dan Berrigan, preach and do communion. Some female seminarians did research and discovered that shrines to Mary in England are located at the goddess sites of the Druids. So we had a Middle Ages well blessing service but also included Druid believes in the ecology system. Knowledge/science and faith can be synergistic.
This is the strand of Christianity which called me. I felt wonderfully at home. Cognitive dissonance did not exist. I could take my concerns to a priest, who never correct me. In fact, the priest usually had her own questions and gave me a broader context or the staement that many questions. Answers were unimportant compared to hard questions, love, and community.
You could attend opera and be a Christian. The Cathedral hosted rock concerts. UN officials preached. Shinto priests visited. When Manhattan was tranformed with a no-nukes demo, the Cathedral hosted monks from Japan, France, and Italy.
I don't believe I have ever written my way is the only way. It is my belief and comforts me. President Obama attracted national attention when he addressed the Democratic convention that nominated John Kerry. He has great faith ( and I do not agree with him on some of his faith policy items) and implored Democrats to assert their God and the Social Gospel. The GOP had no right to hijink God. He claimed it was not the fault of the GOP but the fault of believers who believed stating their belief was tacky.
I could cut and paste from my library books. Conversion is not my strong suit. I don't liked being dumped into the nonbelief category b/c I do not hear voices and, more importantly, grant no authority to anyone on earth to dictate what I believe. I love being Anglican but the moment someone told me I must belief a certain thing, my Anglicanism will end.
It is unfair to paint members' responses as following Shelby or having no belief. What is sad to me is that I am not welcomed as a fellow believer. The atheists nurture me. They may not understand why I believe but I can't give a logical explanation other than it is my choice. So who is Christian here and who is not.
It is arrogance to believe that millions of Christians must believe what Shelby beleives to be Christian. I could set forth why she is beyond the pale of Christian teaching. Suffice that is ok with Shelby. Why can't we share what isi mportant to us wit hout imposing it on each other? If I repeated some threads to fellow church goers, people would laugh so hard. I take it that my JW background does not allow me to laugh.
These are my beliefs. Christ can co-exist with science and rigorous academic study. Jung wrote that we do not worship Jesus but our projection of Jesus. Without being too dramatic, I cry when I hear a literate sermon, hear great music or liturgial dance. All my skills can be brought to God and our welcome.
I need to constantly research how JW doctrine is wrong. Anglicans are way beyond that tit for tat approach.